Shingle gauge attachment



1961 E. s. ERICKSON 2,966,745

SHINGLE GAUGE ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 21. 1959 IN VEN TOR.

E0 WAQO .5. E'E/CKJO/V mam SHINGLE GAUGE ATTACHMENT Edward S. Erickson, 524 N. Burlington Ave., Fergus Falls, Minn.

Filed Aug. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 835,347

3 Claims. (Cl. 33-188) This invention relates to a novel attachment for and to convert hammers into shingle gauges or lap siding spacers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a more efficient, and more easily used and more easily installed attachment of the kind indicated which is selfadjustable to fit hammer handles of different contours and cross sections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rugged but inexpensive attachment of the character indicated above, which is uncomplex in construction, and is composed of a small number of simple and easily assembled parts.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hammer having a handle on which an attachment of the invention is installed, to form a gauge;

Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the gauge applied to space lap siding, the attachment being shown in spacing position in full lines, and in a preliminary position in phantom lines;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated attachment, generally designated 10, is shown applied to the handle 12 of a claw hammer 14, having a head 16 having a top surface 18 and sides 20.

The attachment 10 comprises a substantially U-shaped flat resilient strip metal yoke 22 having a straight flat bight portion 24 which terminates at its ends in lateral, coplanar forwardly extending legs 26. The legs 26 are outwardly and longitudinally bowed between their ends, and terminate at their forward free ends in laterally inwardly and rearwardly directed books 28. The hooks 28 have portions 30 which are rearwardly bent inwardly relative to the legs, and which terminate in further inwardly and curvedly bent terminals 32 which reach forwardly to the portions 30, as seen in Figures 3 and 4.

Suitably fixed centrally on the forward side 34 of the yoke bight portion 24 is a nut 36 whose bore is registered with an opening 37 provided in the bight portion, to pass forwardly therethrough and into the nut 36, a tightening or clamping screw 38.

The attachment 10 further comprises a gauge block 40 which is preferably in the form of an inverted panshape 42 having a fiat horizontal top wall 44 having on its rear or inward end a depending rear end wall or flange 46 which is concaved, as indicated at 48, to conformably engage a side of the hammer handle 12, and having along its side edges depending longitudinal flanges States Patent a Patented Jan. 3, 1961 7 ice or side walls 50 which are parallel to each other and at right angles to the top wall 44. The side walls 50 extend between the end wall 46 and the forward or outer end edge 52 of the top wall 44, the pan-shape 42 being open and devoid of an end wall at its forward end.

The side walls 50 have lower longitudinal edges 52 and rounded forward end edges 54. At locations close to and spaced from the rear end wall 46 the side walls 50 are formed, upwardly from their lower edges 52 with similar vertical slots 56 which are parallel to the end wall 46 and at right angles to the top wall 44.

The attachment 10 is assembled and applied to the hammer handle 12 by engaging the yoke legs 26 around opposite sides of the handle, with the screw 38 backed out of the nut 36, then engaging the concave side 48 of the gauge block end wall 46 with the surface of the handle at a point above and between the yoke hooks 28, and then moving the gauge block 40 downwardly along the handle in a manner to engage the slots 56 over the yoke hooks 28, whereat the screw 38 is threaded forwardly in the nut 36 so that the screw forcibly engages the hammer handle 12. This tensions the yoke legs 26 and pulls and holds the yoke end wall 46 against the side of the hammer opposite the screw 38, so as to mount the attachment securely on the hammer handle 12 at a selected location therealong.

As suggested in phantom lines in Figure 2, the attachment 10 is first mounted on the hammer handle 12 at a location spaced from the hammer head 16 greater than the width of shingles or lap siding boards 58 to be gauged and spaced, whereat the top surface 18 of the hammer head is butted against the lower edge 60 of a board and the attachment 10 then moved upwardly along and fixed to the handle 12 to a location in which the top wall 44 of the gauge block 40 bears against the lower edge 62 of a next below board. This sets the position of the attachment 10 on the hammer handle 12 for subsequent gauged spacings of boards. The attachment 10 can be given the desired location on the hammer handle 12 by other means, as by the use of a tape or reeler for measuring the correct distance between the top surface 18 of the hammer head 16 and the upper surface of the gauge block 40.

The attachment 10 can be easily and quickly removed from the hammer handle 12, without inconvenience and without damage to either, simply by backing out the screw 38 and sliding the attachment off the lower end of the handle 12.

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A lap siding board spacing gauge attachment for a hammer comprising hammer handle embracing yoke means, a gauge block mounted on and extending laterally from said yoke means, and clamping means for clamping the yoke means on a hammer'handle, said yoke means comprising a resilient yoke having a bight portion terminating at its ends in legs having free ends, and means removably mounting the gauge block on said free ends, said block having a rear end to engage the hammer handle, and said clamping means comprising a screw threaded through said bight portion and opposed to said block rear end to engage a side of the hammer handle opposite that engaged by the rear end of the gauge block.

2. A lap siding board spacing gauge attachment for a hammer comprising hammer handle embracing yoke means, a gauge block mounted on and extending laterally from said yoke means, said block having an upper surface to be spaced from the top surface of a hammer head at a determined distance, and clamping means for clamping the yoke means on the hammer handle, said yoke means comprising a resilient yoke having a bight portion terminating at its ends in legs having free ends, and means removably mounting the gauge block on said free ends, said block having an end to engage the hammer handle, and said clamping means comprising a screw threaded through said bight portion and opposed to said block end to engage a side of the hammer handle opposite that engaged by the end of the gauge block, said mounting means comprising slots formed in opposite sides of the gauge block, and laterally inwardly and rearwardly 15 curved hooks on the free ends of the yoke legs engaged in said slots.

3. A spacing gauge comprising a resilient U-shaped yoke having a bight portion terminating at its ends in laterally spaced oppositely bowed legs having free ends, a nut fixed on said bight portion, a clamping screw threaded through the nut, an inverted pan-shaped gauge block having a top wall having inner and outer ends, an inner end wall on and depending from said inner end and facing said screw, side walls on and extending along the opposite sides of said top wall, vertical slots formed in said side walls, and laterally inwardly directed hooks on the free ends of the yoke legs engaged inwardly through the slots.

References Qitetl in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 717,938 Smith Jan, 6, 1903 1,701,904 Ailor Feb. 12, 1929 2,004,839 Steien June 11, 1935 r mime 

